Songbirds, whale, carp, and buffalo are all tongues that have been valued in the past.

Tongue is one of the four sacred fatty organs (along with marrow, liver and brains), prized throughout the past. And due for a resurgence today.

Tongue tastes like the meat of the animal you are eating – so nothing off or weird there. But “…it’s the texture of tongue – tender, rich, smooth, and creamy – that will seduce you,” according to Jennifer McLagan.

In my opinion, melt in your mouth tongue can be compared with wagyu beef (both a little over 20 percent fat).  The latter costs well over $100 per pound, from cows in tight quarters, eating (drinking) beer.  Whereas tongue, from a high quality pastured animal, eating their natural diet in their natural habitat, goes for about $5-12 per pound.

Preparing tongue

So let’s do it! Start with an optional brine, parboil or poach, peel and trim, and you’re ready for many many recipes.

Brining will further increase the tenderness.  I usually cover with water and add a generous quantity of salt.  Optionally, you can make a saltwater solution by heating water and adding salt until it dissolves (among other herbs or spices for flavor).  Here the ratio would be 3 generous tablespoons of salt (about 2 ounces) per quart of water. Mix until the salt has entirely dissolved, cool your solution, cover tongue, and brine overnight or up to a few days.

To poach the tongue, bring to a boil, reduce to a hearty simmer and skim any foam from the surface. For smaller lamb, goat or pork, I’ve seen recommendations for 10-30 minutes, most commonly 90 minutes, and up to two hours.  For a larger beef tongue, 2-3.5 hours is typically recommended.  A smaller veal tongue could simmer for an 1-2 hours depending on size.

I’ve always thought that you can’t cook the tongue too long, but I’ve recently read that if it’s overcooked, the meat will shred when peeling it, versus slipping off when it’s properly cooked.  Admittedly, I’ve seen both in my kitchen.  Learning how to time the poaching of the tongue is correlated with it’s size and how strong your simmer is.  No replacement for trying it once (or a few times) and gaining some experience.

I usually remove the tongue with tongs, reserving all the liquid. You can strain this stock and save for soup or cooking grains.

Peel the tongue while it’s still warm (shown here).  I usually set it on a plate to cool and peel it as soon as I can comfortably (or not so comfortably, but still manage to) hold it in my hand.

Sometimes after peeling, you’ll notice spots on the underskin.  These odd, dark spots do not reflect quality, but instead are genetic variations.

Finally, trim any bones or grisly tissue off of the butt end.  Ideally, slice lengthwise for any preparations.

Rare or medium-rare preparation

Alternately, Chris Cosentino recommends freezing the tongue and peeling with a thick vegetable peeler.  Place it between two spoons, all tied together, so that it lays flat as it freezes. He then recommends serving rare or medium rare tongue in several familiar preparations, such as grilling, searing or sauteeing.

Friends of tongue

As Fergus Henderson notes in The Whole Beast,

“Tongue is a very dexterous element in a dish, and has many friends: serve it hot or cold, broiled or fried, in a sandwich…with a… sauce, and it is particularly good with beets…”

Tongue goes well with a variety of sauces. And is even served on display in aspic.

Enjoy!